Two Moments
by Karri Justina
Summary: Two moments shared between Ron and Hermione during the course of Deathly Hallows. What can I say, I was feeling romantic.


A/N: I wrote this a few years ago and it is embarrassingly dewy-eyed for me. What can I say, I was feeling romantic. Long live Romione.

**Two Moments**

"She's okay, right? She's gonna be okay?" Ron didn't even bother to hide the panic in his voice as his sister-in-law came out of the living room, looking frazzled but relieved.

"She will be fine." Fleur said, hands shaking slightly as she returned her medical kit to the cupboard. "I 'ave not your muzzer's skill, but I think the cut on her t'roat will 'eal well. Ozzerwise, all she needs is rest." She crossed her arms and turned to face him. "Where 'ave you-"

"Can I see her?" Ron interrupted, fairly dancing his way toward the door.

Fleur sighed, but there was a small smile there, too. "All right, go. But if she is sleeping, do not wake 'er."

"Don't worry," Ron said, and carefully pushed open the heavy wooden door.

Hermione lay on the couch, looking more frail and vulnerable than he had ever seen her. Her eyes were closed, so he made his way over as quietly as he could and settled himself on the floor next to her. Her eyes fluttered, and he held his breath, but then they opened. She was awake.

"Ron?" she said, and her voice was hoarse, and he thought his heart might break again.

"Shh," He said, taking her hand. "You're safe. You can rest now. We're at Bill and Fleur's, no one can find us here."

She nodded and closed her eyes again. "I'm glad you're here," she said, weakly.

Ron swallowed past the huge, stupid lump in his throat. "I'm sorry, Hermione," he said, and suddenly it all came bursting out of him. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for leaving. I'm sorry for letting you down." He blinked and found he couldn't look at her anymore. "Tonight- when you were screaming- and I was stuck in that dungeon-"

"Ron," she said, and when he raised his head whatever was in her eyes, it was not anger. "Do you know what got me through it? The pain, I mean? Everything?"

He shook his head, and she smiled, a little, and closed her eyes again.

"I could hear your voice – you were calling my name."

Ron suddenly felt electrified, or perhaps that was his stomach leaping up into his throat. He had been calling- no, not calling, but practically screaming as he'd hammered his fists uselessly against that dungeon door. He'd never felt so utterly helpless. He couldn't seem to find the words to say this, though, and she spoke again.

"I could hear your voice, and I held on to that, and I focused on it, and it helped me get through it. The pain didn't feel so bad."

Ron bit his lip as tears that had been threatening to come since he'd first heard Hermione scream started to spill on to his cheeks. It didn't matter, though, because her grip was relaxing- she was starting to drift off.

"Sleep now," he whispered. "I'll be here." 

There were no words. Nothing that could possibly describe the emotions flooding the Great Hall as everyone really took in what had happened. Harry was surrounded by ecstatic but battleworn revelers. Ginny was being smothered in her mother's arms, and Arthur Weasley embraced George, no longer a twin, while his brothers looked on, but Ron took Hermione's hand and led her gently to a quieter part of the Hall – close enough to Harry if he needed them, but far enough to allow them some small peace.

They stopped, and looked at each other, and then his strong arms were around her, and she tightened hers around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, all the tears she'd wanted to cry tonight finally flowing free. She thought she heard his muffled sobs as well, and when she finally had steadied herself enough to pull back, perhaps a hundred or two years later, his face was wet, too.

"We did it, Hermione," he said, as though trying to believe it himself. "It's over. It's really over."

And then their tears turned into laughter, and they were hugging each other again – Ron picked her clear off the ground and swung her around. Hermione staggered a little from dizziness when he finally put her down, but she was still laughing as she looked up into those blue eyes that she loved, yes, really loved – she wasn't afraid to admit it to herself anymore. They'd gone through so much this year. He'd changed, grown into the man she'd always somehow known he could be. They'd come so close to losing everything – she wasn't about to waste another moment.

Perhaps he was thinking the same thing. In his eyes was a tenderness she'd once never thought she'd see there.

"I love you, Hermione Granger," he said, and one emotion came clearly to the forefront: joy, and it bubbled up inside her and was the most wonderful thing she had ever felt. And then he kissed her, so very gently that she thought she might cry again. When he broke away, reluctantly, and smiled softly at her, she buried her face into his neck again.

"I love you, too," she whispered.

All would be well.


End file.
